Wednesday, November 28, 2012

This Day in History: Nov 28, 1520: Magellan reaches the Pacific

After sailing through the dangerous straits below
South America that now bear his name, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand
Magellan enters the Pacific Ocean with three ships, becoming the first
European explorer to reach the Pacific from the Atlantic.

On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail from Spain in an effort to
find a western sea route to the rich Spice Islands of Indonesia. In
command of five ships and 270 men, Magellan sailed to West Africa and
then to Brazil, where he searched the South American coast for a strait
that would take him to the Pacific. He searched the Rio de la Plata, a
large estuary south of Brazil, for a way through; failing, he continued
south along the coast of Patagonia. At the end of March 1520, the
expedition set up winter quarters at Port St. Julian. On Easter
day at midnight, the Spanish captains mutinied against their Portuguese
captain, but Magellan crushed the revolt, executing one of the captains
and leaving another ashore when his ship left St. Julian in August.

On October 21, he finally discovered the strait he had been seeking.
The Strait of Magellan, as it became known, is located near the tip of
South America, separating Tierra del Fuego and the continental mainland.
Only three ships entered the passage; one had been wrecked and another
deserted. It took 38 days to navigate the treacherous strait, and when
ocean was sighted at the other end Magellan wept with joy. His fleet
accomplished the westward crossing of the ocean in 99 days, crossing
waters so strangely calm that the ocean was named "Pacific," from the
Latin word pacificus, meaning "tranquil." By the end, the men
were out of food and chewed the leather parts of their gear to keep
themselves alive. On March 6, 1521, the expedition landed at the island
of Guam.

Ten days later, they dropped anchor at the Philippine island of
Cebu—they were only about 400 miles from the Spice Islands. Magellan met
with the chief of Cebu, who after converting to Christianity persuaded
the Europeans to assist him in conquering a rival tribe on the
neighboring island of Mactan. In fighting on April 27, Magellan was hit
by a poisoned arrow and left to die by his retreating comrades.

After Magellan's death, the survivors, in two ships, sailed on to the
Moluccas and loaded the hulls with spice. One ship attempted,
unsuccessfully, to return across the Pacific. The other ship, the Vittoria,
continued west under the command of Basque navigator Juan Sebastian de
Elcano. The vessel sailed across the Indian Ocean, rounded the Cape of
Good Hope, and arrived at the Spanish port of Sanlucar de Barrameda on
September 6, 1522, becoming the first ship to circumnavigate the globe.